Quick and Easy Tandoori King Prawns

Tandoori king prawns, perfectly cooked and juicy shrimp marinated in an Indian-inspired spiced yoghurt marinade before being quickly grilled.

Aside from a 2-4 hour marinade time, this recipe is blisteringly quick to make, preparation should take no longer than 10 minutes and cooking is done and dusted in under 10 minutes!

Indian Tandoori Shrimp

You don’t have to amble too far around my website to stumble across Indian influences. As a Brummie born in the 70’s they were as common to me growing up as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Tandoori dishes are one of my favourites to make at home, I have everything from whole tandoori fish that I cook on a BBQ to a glorious tandoori cod loin that I cook in an air fryer and some delicious tandoori lamb chops that I cook under a hot grill or broiler.

These tandoori king prawns adopt the same cooking technique as my lamb chops whilst the marinade comes straight from my cod recipe.

The spices are slightly knocked back a little to allow the sweet flavour of the prawns to shine through. But they are still unashamedly big and bold in their flavour.

They are quick too, sure you need to marinate them for a few hours. But, preparation takes 10 minutes at most and cooking takes less than 10 minutes!

Frequently Asked Questions

What size prawns do you use?

You should go as big as you can get for this recipe, I use size 8-12 shelled prawns.

Can I use frozen prawns?

Yes, absolutely!

Can I make this in advance?

No, prawns do not reheat particularly well and tend to become chewy!

Do I have to marinate the prawns for 2-4 hours?

I think this gives the best flavour, but if you are short on time you can reduce this. But try and give them at least 20-30 minutes whilst you are preparing your side dishes.

Can I use low-fat yoghurt?

If it is important to you, then yes, you can get away with low/no fat yoghurt in this recipe.

Can I cook this in an air-fryer?

Yes, although you don’t get the same raw and fierce heat as you do from the grill or broiler.

Preheat your air fryer to 200°C or 390°F and when it is hot add the prawn and cook for 7-8 minutes flipping halfway through.

I would give them a blast with a blow torch before serving just to get a bit of charring happening!

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve my tandoori king prawns with a “smorgasbord” of bits and turn them into wraps.

I start with some homemade chapatis, you could use paratha, store-bought roti, or even tandoori style naan breads.

Then you want some cooling fresh and crunchy textures, my take on kachumber salad is perfect for this.

Finally the sauces, I have made my mint raita (without cucumber) and tamarind chutney in these pictures. But, both lime pickle and mango chutney would be fantastic too!

Equipment Used

I only name-check specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Grill/Broiler.
• Kicthen tongs to flip the skewers.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Grater.
• Mixing bowl.
• Skewers, I prefer bamboo skewers.
• A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.